Support for telephone bases



Ffib 2H, H D BLUMENTHAL 2,14%,055

SUPPORT FOR TELEPHONE BASES Filed ma 11, 1936 lsnooks D. Bums/mm Patented Feb. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PAT ENT OFFICE r 1 Claim.

This invention relates to means for readily aflixing the baseoftelephones, ash-stand and the like-,--to a smooth surface, and more especially to amnesia-means detachably' mountable on said '5 bases. Telephone-sub-st'ation instruments which are primarily designed to rest upon a flat surface such as a desk or table, have a pronounced tendency to slip or tilt, especially where it is equipped with automatic calling dial and a numher is being dialed.

An object of this invention is to prevent undue slippage by placing a detachable rubber base or the like, on the instrument, said base being equipped with a vacuum means for holding the base to the surface comprising a plurality of second vacuum cups disposed within the first vacuum means for gripping the table top at various points. This makes it possible for atelephone, ash-tray, or in fact any type of instrument to which this might be attached, to first be anchored to the table top by these small individual vacuum cups and upon further downward pressure of the instrument the entire anchoring means will be gripped by the large vacuum means in which the small vacuum cups are located.

Should the table top or surface not be uniform and thereby preventing the large vacuum means from properly engaging the table top at all points, the individual small vacuum means disposed 0 therein would engage the top at certain points to anchor the telephone or instrument.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a base for anchoring telephones and the like to a plane surface having means for mounting a memorandum card and also a pencil in order that proper data may be placed therein for the convenience of the user of the telephone.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a base attachable to telephones which will prevent slippage of the telephone when resting on a glass or highly polished surfaces and especially when used on a dial telephone as it not only prevents slippage but also reduces the noise incident to dialing which make the base Figure 3 is an isometric view looking at the bottom side of the anchoring means;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional viewtaken along the line 4-4 in Figure 2 and showing a portion of a telephone base mounted therein;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 55 in Figure 2 and showing a base of a telephone therein.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the numeral l0 denotes the body portion of a telephone equipped with automatic dial calling means which has mounted on the base portion thereof the anchoring means H, said anchoring means being adapted to rest upon any suitable support such as table or desk top l2.

The member H has a rim or outer edge Ha on the lower surface thereof which extends around the member and is adapted to rest upon the top of table l2. When a telephone or any other suitable instrument upon which this base is mounted, is placed upon a table or desk top, this rim engages the top, and when the Weight of the instrument plus hand pressure, exerts downward pressure thereupon, part of the air is expelled from the space l3, said space being formed between the bottom of the base portion Illa, the lower surface of anchoring means If and table top H. Upon release of this downward pressure, a slight upward springing movement will take place which will form a partial vacuum beneath the tele-.

phone.

This anchoring means is further equipped with a plurality of small vacuum cups I4 which also contact the table top at spaced intervals.

It will be noted that the lower surfaces of vacuum cups l4 are slightly lower than the rim portion Ila so that these vacuum cups will contact the tabletop slightly before the rim 1 la. will contact the same, to cause the vacuum cups M to first engage the table top. This provides a safety means, whereby, if a vacuum is not properly formed by the engagement of rim Ila, then the vacuum cups l4 will be engaged. If the table top is perfectly level and the rim Ila causes a vacuum to be formed in space l3, then a second vacuum will also pe formed by the'vacuum cups M.

It is therefore, seen that slippage and tilting is prevented, which occurs in the conventional telephone bases, since most telephones have a base portion Illa which is composed usually of a textile material and does not furnish a frictional or gripping means between the base and the table top.

The anchoring means has integral therewith a portion [5 which has a hole It transversely (11$- posed thereof and which is adapted to hold a suitable marking means, such as a pencil H. In the front portion of member 15 a suitable guideway is cut therein in which is mounted a card l8 containing suitable printed matter thereon for the convenience of the user of the telephone.

Disposed directly over this card is a thin sheet of transparent material l9 such as Cellophane, Celluloid or the like, to protect the front portion of card [8 and prevent it from becoming soiled. In this form the card I8 is removable since the guideway extends completely across the portion I5.

It is therefore, seen that an anchoring means has been provided which, not only insures that the article to which it is attached will be properly anchored to a table top or the like, but which is also composed of a suitable resilient material which resists slippage in addition to the vacuum means provided, thus insuring the object will remain in its proper position.

In the drawing and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

A support for the base of a telephone comprising an annular resilient rubber member having a groove on the interior thereof whose upper wall is concave to fit the sloping upper surface of a telephone base, said annular member having a downwardly projecting annular lip at its lower outer portion and having integral therewith a plurality of vacuum cups disposed inside the said lip and being disposed in spaced relation around the lower surface of said annular member and whose lower ends normally occupy a plane disposed above the plane occupied by the lower edge of said annular lip so that when pressure is applied to the telephone placed within said annular member the vacuum cups will be pressed against the surface on which the telpehone and support are placed and release of pressure due to the natural resiliency of the support will cause the support to rise to create a partial vacuum in the space within the annular lip and also to create another partial vacuum within the vacuum cups.

ISADORE D. BLUMENTHAL. 

